William Ely

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William Ely (August 14, 1765 – October 9, 1817) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was born in Longmeadow, the youngest son of Deacon Nathaniel Ely and Abigail Colton; his mother died when he was five. He graduated from Yale College in 1787, studied law, and began practicing in Springfield after being admitted to the bar in 1791. Ely served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1801 to 1803, and again in 1814 and 1816. He was elected as a Federalist to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts's 5th district from March 4, 1805, to March 3, 1815. He was married to Abigail Bliss around 1803. Ely died in Springfield in 1817 and is buried in Springfield Cemetery; his wife survived him until 1827.